This move now leaves Mueller vulnerable alongside the murmurs that the president wants to get rid of him. Trump and his associates are already lining up the sham arguments to discredit the former FBI director. And after Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein stated he would not fire the special counsel without “good cause,” Trump went after him, too.

Given these developments and Trump’s ongoing frustration with the investigation, Slate had some timely Trump-watching advice.

The next time the president expresses his frustration with the investigation, don’t be surprised that he sounds like a child—after all, Trump once said he hasn’t changed since he was 7, asIsaac learned from Trump biographer Marc Fisher.

Do not be fooled by advisers who ask you to take Trump’s tweets seriously but not literally. Just take his tweets seriously, Dahlia explains.

A Special Appearance From Mr. Slate

Earlier this week, Slate staff noticed that in his new book, Minnesota Sen. Al Franken quotes a flattering passage about himself from a 2009 Slate article by Dahlia Lithwick. Inexplicably, the former comedian attributed this excerpt not to Lithwick, but to one Mr. Slate.

We asked Slate’s assistant interactives editor Andrew Kahn—who was quick to compare Mr. Slate to Roger Hargreaves’ classic Mr. Men characters—to imagine a day in the life of Mr. Slate, just for Slate Plus.

It was a beautiful day—but not in the way you think.

Mr. Slate was watching the rain from his bedroom window. He liked this type of weather because other people didn’t.

And it was good for plants.

You didn’t know there was such a thing as a Slate, did you?

Well, there is!

According to popular wisdom, Slates like to say things that contradict or complicate popular wisdom.

But that’s not quite right.

When the rain had stopped, Mr. Slate went into town looking for something to have an opinion about.